, 1887-07-07
Wellington and Grant.

| ~ egO"tU".
In this English year of Jubilee tn
name of wellington will be freshl,
remembered. Many an ignoran
EnSlIshman, who howls over Welljng
ton and depreciates Grant. would b,
astonIshed to know that Wellington
and Grant had many points of resem
blanee. They We're identical men IL
their common sense, their reticence
and their truthfulness. Today ad
Vancement in the English army b,
purchase of commission is impossible
as under Gladstone in 1868 that abus,
was extinguished, but in Wellington!
day 1t was the custom aud habit O
the time. Indeed. Wellington was
favored child of fortune compared
with Grant. His father was the Ear
OF Mornington; his elder brother wa,
a distinguished statesman, who be,
came governor general of India il
II90. He took his brother Arthur
with him, who had always beer
looked upon as the Ounce of the fam.
lly- He had been educated at Eton
at the military college of Anglers, but
had exhibited no marked proficiency
and owed his rapid advancement
through the lower ranks of the army
more to family influence than to any
indications of personal merit. Arthur
Wellesly was an ensign in 1887; {
captain in 1871; major i'll 1893. anC
lieutenant colonel in the following
September. In 1884 -95, he served
under Lord MORA, the Lord Rawdor
of Corvallis campaign in the Caro-.
linas, but at this date. although q
years old, he had no taste for military
life, for he petitioned to be transfer
red to the civil service. His brother
Earl of Mornington, was at this time
made governor general of India
From 1893 to 1906 Col. Wellesley
was given by his brother every oppor
tunity for advancement. He stormed
Seringapatam; with 5000 men and II
guns he whipped $4,000 Mahrattas
and 100 guns at Assaye in 1903. He
saw no service from 1903 until 1903
when he was sent to Portugal. he
repulsed Junot at Vimiera, but was
denounced for the treaty of Cintra
and saw no service from August. 1908
to April, 1909. AS late as 1872 Wei
lington was unpopular and severely
denounced By the pres9 of England
for his evacuation of Spain, and il
was not until June q, 1913, when he
beat Marshal Jourdan at Vittoria that
Wellington became the popular mill
tary idol Of England, just as Grant
did not win the confidence of Lincoln
until July, 1863. Wellington was 81
years of age before he won Assayt
over the Mahrattas, and he was A
years of age before he won the com
plete confidence of his countrymen q:
a military leader Indeed, he had nC
standing as soldier in Europe unit
1903, when he was nearly forty years
of age. Grant was forty years OF agt
when he won Donelson, but when yor
consider that Wellington was backed
by family influence; that his brother
was Il brilliant English statesman
under whose patronage he won hi'
first military renown when he was B.
years of age; that he was constantly
in the army, the career of Grant is more
astonishing than that of Wellington
The two men had much in common
They were both men who had heart,
of IRON and nerves of steel; they botl
had splendid common sense, spoiled
by no imagination. They were botl
truthful men: full of patriotism
Wellington, like Grant. hated war
but would make war with terrible
energy for the salvation of his coun.
try. When the patriotic emergenc,
was over he shrnnk from war, saying
that, next to q great defeat, the mos
cruel sight in the world was a grea
victory. 1t is a curious fact tha
Englishmen should distrust and dis
parage Grant. when their creates
military hero, Wellington, was con,
sidered the Ounce of his family unit
nearly 35 years of age; was frs
brought to notice by victory ovel
barbarians, under the favor of hi
brother, and after five years. servie,
in Spain was the most unpopular sold
Ter in the service of his government
How an Englishman, familiar witt
the history of Wellington, can scof
at Grant as an accident is wonder
to an intelligent American